In order to provide livestock, such as cattle or hogs, with water in sub-freezing temperatures, tank heaters and heated waterers have been developed. An obvious drawback to such a system is the energy cost for fuel to be burned or electricity to be used. Because of the major cost of energy for heating such systems, non-heated types of waterers have been developed.
This latter category of waterer is of a type as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,745,977 to Martin and 4,559,905 to Ahrens. The latter category of waterer uses a floating ball or floating closure in order to prevent outside air from entering a container of water except during that time that livestock is drinking therefrom. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,905, an animal would put its mouth against the ball and push the ball downwardly so as to have access to the water within the container in which the ball is floating.
One of the problems with a floating ball embodiment is that at least in some commercial embodiments thereof the water level is maintained so low that it is difficult for an animal to stick its mouth that far down through the opening which the ball normally closes. This causes slower utilization of the water and perhaps the need for more waterers to accommodate large numbers of livestock.
Another problem with the ball type waterers which utilize multiple balls in the same unit is that when one animal is drinking from one opening, and pushing the ball to one side, it is sometimes interferred with by another animal drinking from an adjacent hole and pushing the floating ball thereof toward the first stated ball. In other words, both floating ball closures can sometimes not be completely pushed open without abutment with one another. It would of course, be easy to remedy this situation by making the waterer larger, but that would only increase the production and maintenance costs thereof.
Still another problem with a floating ball-type waterer arises in a situation when the inlet water quits flowing, such as in a power outage when the supply pump stops. In such event, the animals will continue to drink until the water is gone, but since no more water is supplied, the floating balls drop. This causes the waterer to freeze up because of outside air continuously entering the housing.